It is expected that Manchester United’s current chief executive, Richard Arnold, will depart the club in the near future, with a replacement lined up by future stakeholders INEOS.
Arnold replaced Ed Woodward in the role in February 2022 but now, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to take a 25% stake in the club, he is now expected to leave.
The 52-year-old has often been criticised by supporters and many in the punditocracy for The Red Devils’ general underperformance and underwhelming ways, both on and off the pitch.
The INEOS group, owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, have not yet been officially confirmed as stakeholders in the club but are expected to take a 25% stake and they are expected to pay around £1.25 billion for that in the coming days, during the November international break. The ratification process takes around six to eight weeks from the announcement to its confirmation by the Premier League.
As part of the arrangement, it is believed that INEOS will take control of Manchester United’s football operations and, as a result, Patrick Stewart is expected to take on the role as CEO on an interim basis. He is the finance director for the group.
Arnold has overseen Manchester United continuing to be extremely successful commercially but the continued stagnation of on-pitch performances as well as poor handling of situations such as Mason Greenwood’s potential return has led to this being viewed as a widely positive step for the club by many.
Manchester United are currently the in-form team in the Premier League in terms of results with their 1-0 defeat of Luton Town at the weekend meaning they are currently sitting seven points off defending champions and city rivals Manchester City at the top-of-the-table.
However, pressure remains on both players and staff with Erik ten Hag under scrutiny as performances in that time, as well as UEFA Champions League and EFL Cup results, have been way below par.
